New-look South Carolina High School League football state playoffs set to begin on Friday

   The new-look South Carolina High School League football state playoffs kick into gear on Friday. Once again, there will be six state champions crowned. However, instead of two AAAAA champions, there will be competition for two Class A state titles.

There are still five weekends for the playoffs, culminating in the state championship games at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson in Orangeburg on December 4-5.

The Class A Division II title game will be played on Friday, December 4, beginning at noon. The AA title game will follow at 4 p.m. with the AAAA game set for an 8 p.m. kickoff.

The Class A Division I title game will kick off the action on Saturday, December 5, beginning at noon. The AAA game is set for a 4 p.m. start, and the AAAAA game will kick off at 8 p.m.

The MaxPreps Rating Percentage Index was used to seed the teams for the first time with region title winners and runners-up being seeded based on the RPI Iin the top four classifications.

Let’s take a look at each class.

AAAAA

Defending AAAAA Division I state champion Dutch Fork and defending AAAAA DII champion Northwestern will be competing for one title along with 22 other teams. However, they won’t even have the opportunity to do battle in the championship game.

They can only meet for the upper state title. Northwestern is seeded first, Dutch Fork second, Byrnes is third and Dorman is fourth, and each will receive a first-round bye.

In the lower state, James Island is the top seed followed by Berkeley, Ridge View, Carolina Forest.

AAAA

The same 24-team format is being used here. Gaffney is the No. 1 seed in the upper state with Westside second, defending state champion South Pointe third and T.L. Hanna fourth.

The No. 1 seed in the lower state is Hilton Head Island with Lugoff-Elgin second, North Augusta third and defending runner-up South Florence fourth.

AAA

There are 24 teams competing for the AAA title as well. Defending state champion Oceanside Collegiate Academy is the No. 2 seed in the lower state with Camden the top seed. Hartsville is the third seed and Bishop England is the No. 4 seed.

Wren is the top seed in the upper state with undefeated Daniel No. 2, undefeated Chapman No. 3 and defending runner-up Belton-Honea Path the 4 seed.

AA

The format changes in AA. There are 28 teams in the bracket and everybody except for the top two seeds in the upper state and lower state will play first-round games.

Undefeated Mid-Carolina is the top seed in the upper state while Southside Christian School is the second seed. In the lower state, Dillon is the top seed in the lower state with Saluda the second seed.

Defending state champion Strom Thurmond is the fourth seed in the lower state. It will play host to No. 13 Silver Bluff in the first round.

CLASS A DIVISION I

This is where things get interesting. There are 57 football-playing schools in Class A making up 10 regions. The school with the highest student enrollment is Ninety Six at 489 while the smallest enrollment is Blackville-Hilda at 104. That’s why you have two different state titles on the line.

There is no upper state or lower state, just 18 teams from across the state seeded by the RPI in Class A Division I.

There will be two first-round games in DI. Marion, which is seeded 15^th, will play host to No. 18 Andrews, while No. 16 Edisto will be at home against No. 17 Barnwell.

Defending Class A state champion Bamberg-Ehrhardt is the No. 1 seed and will take on the winner between Edisto and Barnwell. The second seed is Central, which will play host to the Marion-Andrews winner.

Fairfield Central is the No. 3 seed and Abbeville is No. 4.

CLASS A DIVISION II

There are 22 teams in the DII playoffs with the top four seeds being Blackville-Hilda, Lake View, Cross and defending Class A state runner-up Lamar.

There will be four first-round games: No. 11 Hardeeville playing host to No. 22 Dixie, No. 21 Whitmire visiting No. 12 Lee Central, No. 13 Branchville at home against No. 20 Clear Dot Charter and No. 14 Denmark-Olar welcoming in No. 19 Lewisville.

AAAAA

First Round

November 6

Upper State

(1) Northwestern bye

(9) Rock Hill at (8) Boiling Springs

(12) Spartanburg at (5) River Bluff

(4) Dorman bye

(2) Dutch Fork bye

(10) Lexington at (7) Fort Mill

(11) Chapin at (6) Hillcrest

(3) Byrnes bye

Lower State

(1) James Island bye

(9) Fort Dorchester at (8) Wando

(12) Blythewood at (5) Summerville

(4) Carolina Forest bye

(2) Berkeley bye

(10) Socastee at (7) Gray Collegiate

(11) Ashley Ridge at (6) Sumter

(3) Ridge View bye

AAAA

First Round

November 6

Upper State

(1) Gaffney bye

(9) Fountain Inn at (8) Catawba Ridge

(12) Greenwood at (5) Indian Land

(4) T.L. Hanna bye

(2) Westside bye

(10) Greenville at (7) Greer

(11) Clover at (6) Lancaster

(3) South Pointe bye

Lower State

(1) Hilton Head Island bye

(9) Dreher at (8) Wilson

(12) North Myrtle Beach at (5) Lucy Beckham

(4) South Florence bye

(2) Lugoff-Elgin bye

(10) May River at (7) Conway

(11) South Aiken at (6) Irmo

(3) North Augusta bye

AAA

First Round

November 6

Upper State

(1)  Wren bye

(9) Emerald at (8) Powdersville

(12) Southside at (5) Seneca

(4) Belton-Honea Path bye

(2) Daniel bye

(10) Walhalla at (7) Pickens

(11) Palmetto at (6) Blue Ridge

(3) Chapman bye

Lower State

(1) Camden bye

(9) Aynor at (8) Crestwood

(12) Darlington at (5) Loris

(4) Bishop England bye

(2) Oceanside Collegiate bye

(10) Swansea at (7) Hanahan

(11) Atlantic Collegiate at (6) Gilbert

(3) Hartsville bye

AA

First Round

November 6

Upper State

(1) Mid-Carolina bye

(9) Mountain View Prep at (8) Chester (12) Andrew Jackson at (5) St. Joseph’s (13) Newberry at (4) Keenan

(14) Woodruff at (3) Crescent

(11) Pendleton at (6) Chesnee

(10) Liberty at (7) Clinton

(2) Southside Christian bye

Lower State

(1) Dillon bye

(9) Manning at (8) Battery Creek

(12) Waccamaw at (5) Marlboro County (13) Silver Bluff at (4) Strom Thurmond (14) Academic Magnet at (3) Philip Simmons

(11) East Clarendon at (6) Woodland (10) Lake Marion at (7) Orangeburg-Wilkinson

(2) Saluda bye

Class A Division I

First Round

November 6

 (17) Barnwell at (16) Edisto

(18) Andrews at (15) Marion

Second Round

November 13

Barnwell-Edisto winner at (1) Bamberg-Ehrhardt

(9) Latta at (8) Cheraw

(12) Blacksburg at (5) Carvers Bay

(13) Eau Claire at (4) Abbeville

Andrews-Marion winner at (2) Central (10) Ninety Six at (7) Batesburg-Leesville

(14) Whale Branch at (3) Fairfield Central

(11) North Central at (6) Hampton County

Class A Division II

First Round

November 6

(17) Ridge Spring-Monetta at (16) Green Sea Floyds

(20) Clear Dot Charter at (13) Branchville

(21) Whitmire at (12) Lee Central

(18) Bethune-Bowman at (15) Baptist Hill

(19) Lewisville at (14) Denmark-Olar (22) Dixie at (11) Hardeeville

Second Round

November 13

Ridge Spring-Monetta- Green Sea Floyds winner at (1) Blackville-Hilda

(9) Calhoun County at (8) C.A. Johnson Lewisville-Branchville winner at (4) Lamar

Whitmire-Lee Central winner at (5) Scott’s Branch

Bethune-Bowman-Baptist Hill winner at (2) Lake View

(10) Hunter-Kinard-Tyler st (7) Wagener-Salley

Lewisville-Denmark-Olar winner at (3) Cross

(22) Dixie-Hardeeville winner at (6) Johnsonville